Comments on: Do people stare?

By: Sofia

Sofia — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 15:03:00 +0000

This is so relatable! Being married to an Indian man, eveytime we go to India is a starefest! Even here in th US Indian people stare at us in the street, restaurants, etc. It may be because this is not such a big place. We’ve been in big cities in the US where nobody looks at us twice, but India remains the same. Random people have taken my picture (and of other foreigns) at random times when we’re visiting monuments and such… not that great. And some of the staring can be pretty rude too.

By: Eunji Choi

Eunji Choi — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 10:48:00 +0000

I am fairly well adapted to western, or more likely, international cultures. When I am abroad I hardly look at couples with different race. No matter white, yellow, brown or black, they all just blend in and I hardly notice anything – they are just another ‘humans’. But when I come back to Korea, I realize that I am doing stares quite often.

Even though Korea has become A LOT more multi-culturalized in recent decade, a foreigner, let alone a foreign couple, is still pretty rare compare to any other countries and they really don’t blend in.

By: Daniel Flint

Daniel Flint — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 05:14:00 +0000

I’ve been to Korea several times with my wife, we stay in Ilsan where there’s a lot less foreigners, so we (read: I) get quite a few sideways glances. Every time I go back it always takes a few days to adjust to it.
Coming home late one night on the subway, there was a middle aged business man sitting next to my wife who looked like he’d had a few drinks after work. Every so often I’d see him out of the corner of my eye leaning forward and looking at me. When I’d casually look towards him, he’d look back forward. I was starting to worry a bit; if someone was doing that in Perth you’d be starting to fear for your safety!
Eventually my wife noticed and also looked back at him, and he started talking to her… turns out he was just curious, and wanted to know where I was from, how I liked Korea, how we met etc! When he got off at his stop, as the train was taking off he looked back and gave a big smiling wave =)
I know some of the older generations still have issues with mixed relationships, but thankfully my wifes family are very accepting, even though I’m sure they would have liked her to marry a nice Korean guy 😉

By: Nic

Nic — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 10:12:00 +0000

In reply to Jamie Clarke. Does she find it more uncomfortable in Korea or in rural VIC? Or about the same?

By: Jamie Clarke

Jamie Clarke — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 03:28:00 +0000

Just being white and being in korea you get a few looks, especially from children. MY wife is korean and we always get looks, it doesn’t bother me at all but she feels really uncomfortable, especially in korea. Now that we live in rural victoria we get alot of stares also.

By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:32:00 +0000

In reply to Mindy Suk Gwinn. Properly horrible! I can't believe people would deny service. Racism even trumping the desire to make money is pretty amazing. I am sorry you have had to deal with that.

By: Nic

Nic — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 02:12:00 +0000

In reply to Mindy Suk Gwinn. Wow that is terrible :( I'm sorry.

By: Mindy Suk Gwinn

Mindy Suk Gwinn — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Where I am from “Houston, Texas” there are not many stares. We have a huge asian population here. But when we have traveled to other states, man do we get dirty looks! I know it is because of me, I look more Korean than Caucasian. We have even had services refuse to us before. I am pretty used it it when it does happen but My children on the other hand have a hard time understanding why this happens. :/

By: Jess

Jess — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:07:00 +0000

That doesn’t surprise me. Even being in just a ‘mixed’ marriage in terms of nationality and not in any meaningful ethnic sense, I once had a flight attendant not for the life of her understand that I had a U.S. passport and therefore did not need the form she was handing out but my husband with his UK passport did. She just kept trying to give me one. I think, even as a flight attendant, who one would expect to be international enough to have met couples not with the same nationality, it was particularly surprising, but I suppose most people do tend to expect that people who marry will be the same nationality and ethnicity, though I think that is changing quickly in the world. I know so many couples who are at least a bit mixed in our generation. I wonder if in 20 years, you will get a lot less stares.